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| Because the lines on the stave only distinguish between tones, notes are modified by the use of ''accidentals''. The two main accidentals are ''sharps'' and ''flats''; these respectively raise or lower the pitch of a note by a semitone. Double flats and double sharps can change the frequency of a note by less than a semitone. | Because the lines on the stave only distinguish between tones, notes are modified by the use of ''accidentals''. The two main accidentals are ''sharps'' and ''flats''; these respectively raise or lower the pitch of a note by a semitone. Double flats and double sharps can change the frequency of a note by less than a semitone. ''Natural'' accidentals restore a note to the pitch specified by its ]. | ||
Revision as of 18:01, 20 January 2002
A note in musical theory denotes a sound of constant pitch lasting for a specified time.
In western music, notes are assigned alphabetic names (A, B, C etc...) which are separated in pitch by certain frequencies. The standard frequency division is the tone. Tones can be further divided into semitones, which have the value of half a tone. When written out as score each tone is assigned a vertical position (on a line or in a space) on the stave:
http://meta.wikipedia.com/upload/c_maj.png
Because the lines on the stave only distinguish between tones, notes are modified by the use of accidentals. The two main accidentals are sharps and flats; these respectively raise or lower the pitch of a note by a semitone. Double flats and double sharps can change the frequency of a note by less than a semitone. Natural accidentals restore a note to the pitch specified by its key signature.
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